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Monday, September 10, 2018

Cisco’s Sonar


Summer
By Bryce Nielson

As the smoke still lingers in the Bear Lake Valley and the leaves start to turn, we are about ready to enter fall.  The dry summer weather seems to want to persist.  As I think back on years gone by the weather we experiencing is not typical.  Normally, by the first of September, the first frost would have come.  All the tomatoes, squash and other vegetables would be withered vines.  This year my tomatoes are still going strong but the deer have broken in an eaten all my squash and beans.   We may have experienced the first light snow or fall rains by this time but not this year.


The summer was hot, for Bear Lake, and essentially windless.  This is the second year that we have not experienced a “Bear Laker”.  A constant wind from the north for at least three days.  The smoke in the skies robbed many a tourist of a beautiful Bear Lake Valley photo.  It didn’t seem to stop them from visiting as the number of people that came to the Lake was phenomenal.  I found myself impatient to turn onto the highway facing endless lines of vehicles.  UTV’s (side by sides) became the vehicle of choice for many visitors.  I had a fellow on one of my lake tours state that he had never seen so many UTV’s in one small town before.

This was a hummingbird summer.  For some reason, their numbers were abnormally high in late July and early August.  Maybe they had a bumpers crop of chicks or the dry weather made them more dependent on the feeders.  They did consume a lot of sugar water and have started their migration back to central America.  All, of the magpies around my place up and left in June.  The was not one around all summer.  They finally returned in September after Labor Day.  Apparently, they did not like the crowds.

People are still coming to Bear Lake with the continuing good weather.  September is becoming less of a shoulder month.  If the local businesses didn’t make money this summer need to reevaluate what they are doing.  Is the climate changing?  Obviously, it is but the reasons are not well understood.  As one who has spent many cold times here, I am not complaining.  

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